


Nicknames are for Strangers.

by nonsensebearer



Series: RitsuIzu Week [1]
Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Implied Relationships, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-11-27 10:15:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20946683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nonsensebearer/pseuds/nonsensebearer
Summary: He rolls the syllables around a little, getting a better feel for them. If they're living together, never separating, then he has no need for formality, does he?----Day one of RitsuIzu Week. All stories will be connected.





	Nicknames are for Strangers.

**Author's Note:**

> dusts off my ao3 account hello!!!! ritsuizu are the only reason i write fics anymore so i'll be here all week. this is a bit of an experimental style for me, so hopefully it turns out okay! the next part won't be like this one.

_ "My name is.. Ritsu... -ku.. ma..." _

_ "Hm? What? Kuma? I don't really get it, but don't talk if it's too hard! Just be good right now... Kuma-kun?" _

Beginnings start somewhere. A nickname, in normal circumstances, signified closeness in a friendship, normal formalities foregone to allow for a sense of familiarity.

“Kuma-kun” and “Secchan.” Two individuals with nothing in common but the unit they performed in. Both had a lousy view on friendship, one believing his one and only friend was all he needed, the other adopting a harshness in regards to his own 'friends'. Certainly, the two of them didn't see each other as friends. They were nothing more than strangers in the same circumstances.

The year continues, heartbreak and bloodshed painting it red. The leader so loved by "Secchan," just out of reach because of his own shortcomings, was swallowed by the shadows. The destruction of that world "Secchan" loved so much was right in front of "Kuma-kun," separated only by a door.

Now without their King, they wander without a purpose, unchanging, clinging to what little of their past selves they had left. Strangers they remained, bloodied and bruised bodies walking alongside each other as if they had any connection. "Kuma-kun" looks on from a step behind "Secchan," wondering if this barrier should be broken.

A prince joins their ranks. One with a lot of passion, unfitting for the broken bundle of knights. He's disappointed when he realizes the glory he envisioned has long since diminished, embers glowing so low they're in danger of fizzling out. The prince reignites them with a purposeful wind, and they become strong again when the King fans their souls. Knights falters, wavers, before finally regaining their flame. "Kuma-kun" watches with a growing smile as "Secchan" and the King are granted another chance.

They're a little more than strangers now. They never care to acknowledge it, but much of their time is spent near each other.  _ Together _ is a little too intimate a word to describe what they are. Their presence slowly mix, complementing, warming, reassuring, but never truly combining. Becoming inseparable is too vulnerable. After all, friends aren't easy relationships to maintain, especially when you're them. "Secchan" speaks with assurance that what he's doing is a necessary evil. "Kuma-kun" hears the words unspoken.

The year passes too quickly, the amount of fun that could be had when a machine was working in perfect order a surprise to all of them. They grew a little closer, each and every one of them; Prince, King, Queen, "Secchan," and "Kuma-kun." Like a healthy, lively kingdom, they begin to figure out just what friendship means.

"Secchan" and "Kuma-kun" also discover what they'd been missing all along; each other.

_ "I've started to like you more and more. I want to know more about you and be closer with you--can I?" _

The years following are tough. Time differences, long distances apart, and very busy lives hinder their ability to be together at all, in any sense of the word. Fighting to remain a constant in each other's lives, they manage, somehow, to keep the flame alive. "Kuma-kun" jokes about turning him into a vampire, giving them more time than they'll ever need. "Secchan" jokes back about it being too much time with him, and they'll drive each other nuts.

"We'll find out soon enough, though. I'm coming back soon. Permanently."

The fire feels much warmer when the two of them share an apartment together. Domestic habits finally take shape, sleepy morning kisses, arms wrapping around the waist of the chef, quiet, intimate moments after a long day's work. Pointless fights leave silence until they remember that they love each other, and understand each other better than anyone they know. From acquaintances to lovers, their bond feels beyond anything describable. 

"Kuma-kun." His voice is a quiet nudge to the man with his head in his lap, having fallen asleep while Izumi reads his book in silence. "Kuuuma-kun, I can't feel my leg."

Silence.

"..."

Those curled locks of hair really do look softer than average. The quiet sounds of his breathing are as much of a comfort as his peaceful sleeping face is. The way his hand curls against Izumi's leg portrays such a generous innocence that he can't help but feel vulnerable in his place.

"Ri..." The sound feels foreign on his tongue. He can already feel the heat from embarrassment creeping onto this cheeks. He's sleeping, so he can't hear him, right? It's not like he has anything to be afraid of.

".... Ritsu. Ritsu..." He rolls the syllables around a little, getting a better feel for them. If they're living together, never separating, then he has no need for formality, does he?

"Izumi~" The sleepy drawl startles him, a noise in protest squeaked in response to the vampire 'sleeping' in his lap, the sly look of his red hue from the single eye he opens enough to change the colour of Izumi's cheeks to a matching red.

"Kuma-kun! You were supposed to be asleep!"

"Ah-ah, not that name. Use the other one, Izumi~"

"D-Don't say mine so casually like that!"

Nicknames are for strangers, anyway.


End file.
